Satisfy your comfort food cravings with a healthy dose of veggies with this Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad! Featuring crisp bacon, hearty chicken, fresh veggies, and tangy ranch dressing, this tasty salad is perfect for filling lunches and hearty dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad Recipe:
- Quick & Easy: Ready in less than 30 minutes with just a few simple steps, this bacon ranch chicken salad is perfect for busy weeknights and beginner cooks.
- Delicious: The combination of salty bacon, tangy ranch, and hearty chicken is a match made in heaven! Served over crunchy lettuce with fresh veggies, it’s always a hit and welcome any time of year.
- Satisfying: Make this salad when you want a hearty and filling but nutritious meal. Serve it with crusty bread or add cheese for even more staying power.
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients
Chicken Breast - For the easiest and quickest cooking, use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You will need half a pound or about 2 small or 1 large breast. You can also swap in rotisserie or leftover chicken for less prep.
Bacon - Adds salty savoriness to every bite! Uncured or cured both work well; thick-sliced bacon also works, though you may need to add a few minutes of baking time to achieve your desired texture.
Ranch Dressing - One of the stars of this chicken ranch salad! It is an important flavor element of the salad, so choose your family’s favorite brand, or you could use a homemade ranch dressing.
Green Leaf Lettuce - This soft and tender lettuce has a fresh and mild flavor, making it the perfect complement to salty bacon and hearty chicken. Wash and spin the lettuce well before adding it to the salad if needed. For a substitute, just use additional romaine lettuce.
Romaine Lettuce - A classic salad lettuce with a great crunch. You will need 2 cups, chopped.
Grape Tomatoes - For a pop of juicy sweetness! Use whole grape tomatoes or slice them in half length-wise. If needed, swap cherry tomatoes or chopped Roma or beefsteak tomatoes.
Cucumber - Adds a sweet crunch to the chicken bacon salad. Hothouse or English cucumber both work well; remove the seeds if preferred before slicing or dicing the veggies.
Avocado - Choose a ripe avocado that gives slightly when gently but firmly pressed. Remove the pit and slice it thinly before layering it on the salad.
Equipment:
Baking Sheet & Parchment Paper - For baking the chicken and bacon. If needed, use aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray instead of the parchment.
Pastry Brush - Use this to spread the ranch on the chicken halfway through the baking time.
Cutting Board & Chef’s Knife - This is for slicing the chicken and bacon and chopping the vegetables.
Salad Spinner - An optional tool for washing lettuce.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise and season them with salt and black pepper. For two salads you'll only need one breast, since I had two I made both with the intention of having chicken leftover.
Bake the Chicken and Bacon
Place the halved chicken breasts and bacon on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the bacon and chicken, and add about a tablespoon of ranch dressing to each chicken breast. Bake another 5-10 minutes to fully cook the meats.
Prepare Lettuce and Vegetables
Rinse and chop the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado. Divide the lettuce between two serving plates or bowls and top with the tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado slices.
Assemble and Serve Salad
Once the bacon and chicken have cooled, chop the crispy bacon and slice the chicken. Divide them amongst the salads. Drizzle the salads with the remaining ranch dressing and enjoy.
Recipe Success Tips
- Spread out the chicken and bacon on the baking sheet. For even baking and the crispiest bacon, space out the meat so it doesn’t overlap itself.
- Cook the bacon until crisp. The cooking time will depend on the bacon’s thickness and your preferred crispiness. Check it at 15 minutes and add more time as needed.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces. To have bites of bacon in every forkful. If desired, you can also break it into smaller bacon bits.
Preparation Alternatives
- Pre-Cooked Chicken and Bacon: For ultra ease and convenience, you can make this chicken bacon ranch salad recipe with pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken and pre-cooked bacon. Add the chicken to the salad cold or brush it with the ranch dressing and heat it in an oven preheated to 300°F for 5-10 minutes or until hot.
- Grilled Chicken: For flame-grilled flavor, you can grill the chicken and make a bacon ranch grilled chicken salad. Cook it over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning the chicken every 2-3 minutes and adding the ranch dressing in the final 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. I do not recommend grilling the bacon, as the drippings can cause flame flare-ups.
Serving Suggestions
This bacon chicken salad makes a filling lunch, whether served alone or with a cup of vegetable or tomato soup. Serve the salad for a light dinner, or make it a complete meal by pairing it with shortcut focaccia or crusty bread.
Storage Directions
Leftover ranch chicken salad keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you anticipate having leftovers, only dress how much salad you plan to eat. The lettuce will stay the freshest when stored separately from the dressing.
FAQs
Yes, wraps are a great way to repurpose the chicken and bacon salad leftovers. Tuck the salad into a large tortilla, drizzle it with ranch dressing, and wrap up the tortilla like you would a burrito. You can also use a large leaf of iceberg or romaine to make a lettuce wrap if you prefer.
Yes, this salad works great for meal prep. You can assemble the salad into single serving containers and store in the fridge, just leave the dressing off until you're ready to eat.
Unfortunately, I do not recommend it. Canadian bacon is low in fat, making it dry rather than crisp when baked. For this chicken salad with bacon, use American-style bacon.
Of course! You could add red onion, shredded carrots, diced red bell pepper, or even some sweet corn to your salad. For some extra color on top you could go with green onions, or top with some cheese- cheddar goes particularly well with this.
More Easy & Light Dinner Recipes
- Salmon Caesar Salad Wrap with Leftover Salmon
- Apple Chicken Sandwiches
- Pesto Caprese Sandwiches
- Honey Mustard Chicken Wrap
Enjoy!
I hope your entire family loves this chicken and bacon salad! Be sure to come back and let me know how it went with a star rating and review.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz chicken breast uncooked
- 8 oz bacon uncooked
- ⅓ cup ranch dressing
- 2 cups green leaf lettuce
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- ½ cup grape tomatoes
- ⅓ ea cucumber
- ½ ea avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice chicken breast lenghtwise and season with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken breasts and bacon on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Flip bacon and chicken, and add half the ranch on top of the chicken, then return to oven for another 5-10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and bacon to your desired crispness.
- Rinse and slice lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado. Plate lettuce and add tomatoes, cucumber and avocado slices.
- Once bacon has cooled, chop the bacon, slice the chicken and add both to salad. Drizzle remaining half of ranch on top and enjoy!
Notes
- Spread out the chicken and bacon on the baking sheet. For even baking and the crispiest bacon, space out the meat so it doesn’t overlap itself.
- Cook the bacon until crisp. The cooking time will depend on the bacon’s thickness and your preferred crispiness. Check it at 15 minutes and add more time as needed.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces. For bites of bacon in every forkful. If desired, you can also break it into smaller bits.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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